Currensy

Currensy (Curren$у) is the pseudonym of the American rapper Shante Scott Franklin. He came a long way to became famous and managed to earn impressive popularity all over the USA. Franklin was born in New Orleans on 4 April 1981.

Before finishing high school, the young man didn’t listen to rap. He was a big fan of A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and Camp Lo. Currensy decided to become a professional singer when his friends Soulja Slim and Mr. Marcelo signed moneymaking contracts with labels and earned popularity in the music business.

For a long time, Currensy was looking for ways to become a celebrity. He was highly determined and driven. These qualities helped the young man make the right steps. Initially, he couldn’t figure out how to go about finding a label. However, in 2002, Mr. Marcelo helped him sign a contract with Tuff Guy Entertainment.

The rapper C-Murder saw the singer’s talent and decided to help him become successful. The artist offered Currensy a contract with TRU Records, which the young man signed happily. However, two years later, in 2003, C-Murder went to jail for murder. Currensy had to start looking for other options. By that time, he was fairly well known in the world of music and got a contract with No Limit Records. Shante didn’t release any solo albums with the labels but worked on recording songs with other artists.

In 2004, while performing at a talent show, he met a famous musician Lil Wayne, who helped the rapper sign contracts with Cash Money and Young Money Entertainment. In 2006, Currensy released his first single, "Where Da Cash At". It became a hit and climbed the 73rd spot of Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The song was featured in Lil Wayne’s mixtape, Dedication 2.

Later, the song should have become part of Currensy’s debut LP, Music 2 Fly 2. But it never came out. The rapper was experiencing problems with his career. He continued to write lyrics for others, but it didn’t help him record his own albums.

After a while, Shante left Cash Money Records to have more chances at a solo career.

At the end of 2007, Currensy focused on a business venture. He worked with FlySociety to create clothing. However, his dream of becoming a famous solo rapper wasn’t waning. The singer didn’t give up and finally achieved his goal.

In just a few months, a rapper managed to record several successful mixtapes, such as Independence Day and Life At 30 000 Feet. They allowed the artist to become famous and earn money for further work. His photo appeared on the cover of XXL magazine, which called Shante one of the top-10 celebrities in 2009. Many clubs started trying to book Currensy for private events.

The new popularity and appearance on the famous magazine’s covers were good for the career but didn’t help Currensy find worthy deals. Labels were declining offers. Eventually, he signed a contract with Amalgam Digital to release a debut LP, This Ain't No Mixtape, in the spring of 2009. The album was produced by Monsta Beatz.

The next step taken by Currensy was a contract with the label, Roc-A-Fella. He released the next LP, Pilot Talk, in 2010 with the support of Damon Dash and his label DD172. Soon, the second part of the album, Pilot Talk 2, came out. Both albums reached top-20 of Top Tastemaker Albums Chart.

Between 2011 and 2012, the rapper released several albums, among which were Weekend at Burnie's, The Stoned Immaculate, Covert Coup, Jet World Order, Muscle Car Chronicles, and Jet World Order 2. All of them reached high spots on the charts.

In 2015, the rapper presented one more LP, Pilot Talk III. It came out with the assistance of the producer Ski Beatz. The album came out on a USB stick and had a price tag of $100.

The latest album to date came out in 2015 with the assistance of Jet Life Recordings и Atlantic Records. Canal Street Confidential reached the 30th spot on Billboard 200.

In 2018, the singer released three independent mixtapes, The Marina, Fire in the Clouds, and Weed & Instrumentals 3.